Libya’s prime prosecutor will examine the collapse of two dams within the japanese port of Derna that launched a fast-moving wall of water that killed hundreds of individuals and largely destroyed the town.

Basic Prosecutor al-Sediq al-Bitter informed reporters that native authorities, earlier governments, and the allocation of the dams’ upkeep funds can be scrutinised.

“I reassure residents that whoever made errors or negligence, prosecutors will definitely take agency measures, file a prison case in opposition to him and ship him to trial,” al-Bitter mentioned at a information convention late on Friday.

The investigation was introduced as rescue groups continued to seek for our bodies within the ravaged metropolis on Saturday, practically every week after Storm Daniel’s influence on the dams that one support official mentioned killed greater than 11,000 individuals.

Conflicting dying tolls have been reported with officers within the east and west of the divided nation giving completely different estimates.

The World Well being Group (WHO) mentioned on Saturday “the our bodies of three,958 individuals have been recovered and recognized” with 9,000 extra nonetheless lacking. It additionally introduced 29 tonnes of well being provides arrived within the japanese Libyan metropolis of Benghazi.

“This can be a catastrophe of epic proportions,” mentioned Ahmed Zouiten, the WHO’s consultant in Libya. “We’re saddened by the unspeakable lack of hundreds of souls.”

‘Metropolis smells like dying’

Help organisations have warned the approaching days might see the unfold of illness in addition to grave difficulties in delivering provides to these in want.

Islamic Reduction warned of a “second humanitarian disaster” after the Derna catastrophe, pointing to the “rising danger of water-borne illnesses and shortages of meals, shelter and drugs”.

“1000’s of individuals don’t have wherever to sleep and don’t have meals,” mentioned senior official Salah Aboulgasem. “The town smells like dying. Virtually everybody has misplaced somebody they know.”

Haider al-Saeih, head of Libya’s centre for combatting illness, mentioned in televised feedback on Saturday not less than 150 individuals suffered from diarrhoea after consuming contaminated water in Derna. He urged residents to solely drink bottled water, which is being shipped in as a part of reduction efforts.

Caroline Holt, director of disasters, local weather and crises with the Worldwide Federation of Purple Cross and Purple Crescent Societies, famous whereas support had began to reach points resembling unexploded landmines posed a risk to supply.

“Getting that support after all from the airport to Derna itself gives an extra degree of problem. We all know that roadways have been enormously impacted by this,” Holt informed Al Jazeera.

“We all know there can be safety points … These landmines which will as soon as upon a time had been mapped clearly, now all of that can be disturbed. It provides an additional degree of safety dangers to each the inhabitants in Derna and people coming in from the skin.”

Crucial neglect

It’s unclear how an investigation by prosecutors can be carried out as Libya has been break up between two rival administrations following the NATO-backed rebellion that toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The 2 governments are backed by completely different militias and worldwide actors. The shortage of a powerful central authorities has resulted within the neglect of essential infrastructure.

A report by a state-run audit company in 2021 mentioned the 2 dams, which have been constructed within the Seventies, had not been maintained regardless of the allocation of greater than $2m for that objective in 2012 and 2013.

In 2007, a Turkish agency, Arsel Building Firm Restricted, was contracted to hold out upkeep and construct one other dam in between. Based on the agency’s web site, it accomplished that work in November 2012.

Al-Bitter urged residents who’ve lacking kinfolk to report back to a forensic committee that works on documenting and figuring out retrieved our bodies.

“We ask residents to cooperate and rapidly proceed to the committee’s headquarters in order that we are able to end the work as rapidly as doable,” he mentioned.

Questions have been raised about whether or not the excessive variety of casualties in Derna might have been averted with higher governance.

‘Human response response’

Stephanie Williams, a US diplomat and former UN envoy to Libya, urged international mobilisation to coordinate support efforts within the wake of the flood in a social media submit.

She warned of the “predilection of Libya’s predatory ruling class to make use of the pretext of ‘sovereignty’ and ‘nationwide possession’ to steer such a course of on their very own and in a self-interested method”.

Holt mentioned it’s time for rival factions to “put apart political variations” and famous there are indicators of that taking place on the bottom already.

“We’re listening to very heartening tales of east and west coming collectively – individuals actually coming in from the west to attempt to help. It’s a really human response response,” she mentioned.